Sixty Years of Satellites – from Sputnik to Space X

At this event you will revisit sixty years of technical innovation in the satellite industry with presentations from four companies at the leading edge of a new era of space based communication - and a tour of the Science Museum.

About the event

On October 4th 1957, the 40th anniversary of the Bolshevik revolution, the USSR launched the first artificial satellite in space, Sputnik 1.

Sixty years on, satellites have become an essential part of everyday life, delivering our TV, telephone and broadband data and telling us where we are with a precision which would have seemed extraordinary just a few years ago.

In this second event this year at the Science Museum and as a follow on to the satellite session at the Cambridge Wireless International Conference (CWIC) in July, the Cambridge Wireless Heritage Group revisits sixty years of technical innovation in the satellite industry and hosts presentations from four companies at the leading edge of a new era of space based communication.

Starting with tea in the second floor café at 4pm, a visit to the satellite and space exhibits in the Information Age Gallery hosted by Abbie MacKinnon, Assistant Curator for Technologies & Engineering followed by four twenty minute presentations in the Dana Centre and networking and drinks, finishing at 8.00pm.

There is no cost to attend though delegates are encouraged to donate an optional £5.00 to the museum as they arrive.

We aim to use the event to test the level of interest in establishing a Satellite Industry Special Interest Group within Cambridge Wireless.

Over the past sixty years, technical and commercial innovation has been closely coupled with regulatory innovation to meet the changing social and economic and political realities of a fast changing world and has provided the basis for a remarkable network of geostationary satellites that are now being upgraded to meet the global communication needs of the next sixty years. In parallel unprecedented investment in new high satellite count low earth and medium earth orbit constellations could potentially disrupt existing industry business models and enable a closer coupling with terrestrial 5G networks.

17:30

Nigel Wall, Climate Associates - ‘The Making of Madley’

First commissioned in 1978, Madley is BT’s sole operational UK satellite ground station, with over 65 antennas ranging in diameter from 90cm to 32m. Madley provides continuous access to more than 15 satellites (ranging from 66 degrees East to 314 degrees East), spanning two thirds of the planet. As part of the original build team, Nigel revisits the engineering challenge of designing and constructing the Madley communications centre.

Over the past 15 years, ultra-compact small satellites have been developed and launched into low earth orbit to meet a wide range of communication needs including global IOT connectivity. The UK has ambitious plans to roll out new launch capacity and UK based companies are in the forefront of this fast developing satellite sector.

While the main focus remains on developing near space satellite platforms, some spectacular deep space missions are promising to provide unique insights into our solar system including the Sun. Matthew provides ’ under the bonnet’ technical insights into the Solar Orbiter mission including the comms systems and highlights the differences between the Orbiter mission and the recently launched Parker Solar Probe.

19:00

Networking over drinks

20:00

Event closes

Speakers

Dr Chris Brunskill is an electronics engineer specialising in small satellite systems and mission design. He obtained a Masters of Engineering degree in electronics and satellite engineering from the University of Surrey and a PhD in space robotics from the Surrey Space Centre. His work focuses on the development of new satellite applications that utilise small satellite platforms for demonstration of novel technologies and new mission concepts. Chris is passionate about open, innovative technology development in the space sector.

Matthew Stuttard joined what is now Airbus Defence and Space in 2006 and is currently the Advanced Concepts Architect for Space Systems in the UK. Until 2013 he was head of Future Programmes in Science and Planetary Exploration. Before Airbus he worked for Logica (now CGI) and two small companies, accumulating 20 years’ experience in satellite imaging applications and geospatial information systems. Following a degree in geography from Sheffield University, Matthew started in Earth observation at what is now Cranfield University where he was a lecturer in Applied Remote Sensing. He moved to the commercial world in 1989 and has gained wide experience of space applications and systems. His past activities have included making the first global vegetation fire map, checking farm subsidy claims using satellite imagery, modelling the water level of lakes in the Kenyan rift valley, rural development projects in the Himalayan foothills, future rovers for Mars exploration and telescopes to detect and study Earth-like planets around stars. Today he is concerned with bringing new types of space system into being, looking 5 to 10 years ahead on a range of topics including small launchers, space weather, space debris, space radar, radio-frequency sensing, new telecoms satellite architectures and in-space manufacturing.

Geoff Varrall joined RTT in 1985 as an executive director and shareholder to develop RTT's international business as a provider of technology and business services to the wireless industry. He co-developed RTT's original series of design and facilitation workshops including 'RF Technology', 'Data Over Radio', 'Introduction to Mobile Radio', and 'Private Mobile Radio Systems and developed 'The Oxford programme', a five day strategic technology and market programme presented annually between 1991 and 2005. Geoff has been running in depth technology and market workshops for the industry for over 33 years, spanning five generations of mobile cellular technology. A co-author of the Mobile Radio Servicing Handbook (Heinemann Butterworth, UK), Data Over Radio, (Quantum Publishing, Mendocino, USA and 3G Handset and Network Design (John Wiley, New York). Geoff's fourth book, Making Telecoms Work – from technical innovation to commercial success (John Wiley) was published in early 2012 followed by 5G Spectrum and Standards published by Artech House in July 2016. His latest book 5G and Satellite Spectrum Standards and Scale is now available from Artech House and can be ordered from http://uk.artechhouse.com/5G-and-Satellite-Spectrum-Standards-and-Scale-P1935.aspx Delegates to this event can get a 25% discount and free posting by applying the discount code VAR25.As a past Director of Cambridge Wireless, Geoff is actively involved in a number of wireless heritage initiatives that aim to capture and record past technology and engineering experience and is a patron of the Science Museum In his spare time he plays Jazz trumpet semi-professionally and is a marathon and ultra-runner.

Nigel Wall is an independent system engineering consultant and Director of Climate Associates Ltd: CAL helps organisations optimise ICT system design based on understanding the whole life carbon footprint cost of deploying innovative ICT technology compared to using current systems. Climate Associates are leading work with ITU-T SG5 and ETSI in standardising the analysis and in determining best practice. Nigel is also involved with Intelligent Transport Systems - 'connected cars' he is the Chair of the ITS UK Communications SIG and the Land Navigation & Location Group at the Royal Institute of Navigation.

SIG Champions

Stirling Essex has over 25 years of product development, product management, strategic marketing and business development experience in many areas of wireless technology, and has been intimately involved in the development of test systems for GSM, CDMA (IS-95), 3G (W-CDMA) and LTE. He founded Espansivo, a technology consultancy specialising in helping organisations with their technology, product and business decisions, in 2005. Stirling was previously a co-champion of the CW Future Wide Area Wireless Special Interest Group and has been a member of the CW Board since 2004.

Steve Haseldine FIMC FRSA is the Chairman of three companies, Alerter Group plc, Electronic Communications Ltd and Evets Communications Ltd, businesses that design and manufacture in-building, radio-based, emergency communication systems; software defined radio solutions and operate PMR, FM Broadcast and Cellular transmission sites. He is also the Chairman of the Radio Communication Museum of Great Britain. His connection with radio started over 50 years ago as a schoolboy, when he became a licensed radio amateur, an interest which has influenced much of his professional career. Sponsored as a Computer Science student focused on software development with Rolls Royce, he subsequently worked for GEC Telecommunications before becoming a Management Consultant with Price Waterhouse. Starting his own software house and radio communication businesses in 1979 he has found it rewarding that his two passions of software and radio have evolved into an almost common technology. He has seen his own companies being judged the Midlands Best Small Business of 2013 and the leading Company for Innovation in both 2012 and 2013. As well as remaining an active radio amateur, Steve has now amassed one of the largest personal collections of communication radio equipment in the UK, with over 3000 receivers, transmitters and ancillary equipment, the vast majority of which are fully operational. The collection spans from the early spark transmitters to the latest Software Defined Radios.

Simon Rockman lives at both ends of the adoption bell curve. As an experienced technology writer he was the editor of Personal Computer World in the late 1980s and went on to found What Mobile magazine which he ran for ten years, and has reviewed over 300 handsets. As the mobile correspondent for The Register he championed CW writing a number of articles supporting the organisation. He has also had senior roles in telecoms having been the Creative Experience Director at Motorola where he looked at new uses for mobile and Head of Requirements at Sony Ericsson where we worked on innovative devices at entry level. He was the Head of the Mobile Money Information Exchange at the GSMA and has launched Fuss Free Phones an MVNO aimed at older users.

Andy Sutton is a Principal Network Architect within BT Architecture and Strategy team. He is responsible for 5G end to end network architecture, RAN architecture evolution and mobile backhaul strategy and architecture. Andy holds an MSc in mobile communications from the University of Salford and has over 30 years of experience within the telecommunications industry. Andy’s research interests include; distributed and centralised RAN and core architectures and protocols, network dimensioning, QoS and mobile backhaul (optical transmission, microwave and millimetre wave radio systems, network architecture and protocols along with synchronisation and time distribution in telecommunications networks). He also works on low latency and ultra-reliable networks architecture and design. During his career Andy has worked for Mercury Communications Ltd, Orange, H3G, EE and BT. Andy is a Visiting Professor at the University of Salford and a research mentor at the 5G Innovation Centre at the University of Surrey. Andy is a chartered engineer and holds fellowships from the IET, BCS and ITP. Andy contributes to International telecommunications standardisation activities and several industry forums. Andy also has an interest in the history and heritage of telecommunications and is a CW Heritage SIG Champion.

Geoff Varrall joined RTT in 1985 as an executive director and shareholder to develop RTT's international business as a provider of technology and business services to the wireless industry. He co-developed RTT's original series of design and facilitation workshops including 'RF Technology', 'Data Over Radio', 'Introduction to Mobile Radio', and 'Private Mobile Radio Systems and developed 'The Oxford programme', a five day strategic technology and market programme presented annually between 1991 and 2005. Geoff has been running in depth technology and market workshops for the industry for over 33 years, spanning five generations of mobile cellular technology. A co-author of the Mobile Radio Servicing Handbook (Heinemann Butterworth, UK), Data Over Radio, (Quantum Publishing, Mendocino, USA and 3G Handset and Network Design (John Wiley, New York). Geoff's fourth book, Making Telecoms Work – from technical innovation to commercial success (John Wiley) was published in early 2012 followed by 5G Spectrum and Standards published by Artech House in July 2016. His latest book 5G and Satellite Spectrum Standards and Scale is now available from Artech House and can be ordered from http://uk.artechhouse.com/5G-and-Satellite-Spectrum-Standards-and-Scale-P1935.aspx Delegates to this event can get a 25% discount and free posting by applying the discount code VAR25.As a past Director of Cambridge Wireless, Geoff is actively involved in a number of wireless heritage initiatives that aim to capture and record past technology and engineering experience and is a patron of the Science Museum In his spare time he plays Jazz trumpet semi-professionally and is a marathon and ultra-runner.

Nigel Wall is an independent system engineering consultant and Director of Climate Associates Ltd: CAL helps organisations optimise ICT system design based on understanding the whole life carbon footprint cost of deploying innovative ICT technology compared to using current systems. Climate Associates are leading work with ITU-T SG5 and ETSI in standardising the analysis and in determining best practice. Nigel is also involved with Intelligent Transport Systems - 'connected cars' he is the Chair of the ITS UK Communications SIG and the Land Navigation & Location Group at the Royal Institute of Navigation.

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